Stormtrooper Corps
right|thumb|180px|Imperial Stormtrooper with ST-II Blaster Carbine Stormtroopers are the elite shock troops of the Galactic Empire, fanatically loyal and answerable directly to the Emperor. Established by Emperor Palpatine in 19 BBY as a clause in his Declaration of a New Order, the troopers of the Stormtrooper Corps operated alongside Army and Navy, as well as alone. =History= It is possible that Palpatine had the Sith troopers of the ancient Sith Empire in mind, especially in the concept that the troopers induced fear as faceless enemies. thumb|left|180px|Clonetrooper armor from the Clone Wars The Stormtroopers were direct descendants of the clone troopers created from a template of Jango Fett in 32 BBY to serve the Galactic Republic's Clone Army during the Clone Wars. In fact, the clone troopers that lived after the end of the Clone Wars were renamed Imperial stormtroopers by Palpatine during the Declaration of a New Order; immediately afterwards, Palpatine ordered three new stormtrooper clone batches to be grown in the Outer Rim Territories. During the time of the Galactic Civil War and the Battle of Yavin, Fett's clones were still used by the Empire, although Fett's progeny were heavily supplemented with clones from new DNA sources and troopers recruited in the traditional manner. If a man between the ages of 18 and 30 scored in the top fifth percentile, an Imperial recruiting agent would contact these "candidates" and presumably arrange DNA sampling for cloning. Men who didn't score as high were still wanted as regular soldiers. Also, it was preferable if stormtrooper recruits met a certain standard in height and weight. Princess Leia Organa was familiar with these standards by the time of 0 BBY. Following the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor, the Stormtrooper Legions went through a great deal of turmoil. They were fractionalized and splintered as various Warlords fought for control of the Galactic Empire. The lines of Clones in use during the war had tapered as various systems fell to New Republic forces. However, there are still several cloning facilities under Imperial control, including Kamino itself, and while they still do contribute a good number of clones to Legions, they are vastly supplemented by volunteers and conscription out of the various COMPNOR operations, most notably the Sub-Adult Group and CompForce, so much so that the current ratio of clones and non-clones in the Legions are roughly 1:1 and falling, as the need for more troops increases and the ability for the cloning facilities to keep up with that need falters. In 12 ABY–14 ABY, the Stormtroopers underwent their greatest reorganization since 19 BBY, when the Grand Army of the Republic was transformed in the Stomtrooper Legions under Emperor Palpatine. Former Stormtrooper and Royal Guardsmen Vassily Korolov developed a new Order of Battle for the Legions, standardizing their command structures and vastly increased the numbers of troopers and the total number of legions available to the Empire. The new organization has made the Legions much more efficient and capable of a great deal of tactical and strategic flexibility that they lacked before. Legions of Note 501st Stormtrooper Legion -(alt source) ''Vaders Fist'' The 501st is one of the most prestigious units in the Galactic Empire. They served in every major engagment of the war under the direct command of Darth Vader. They are currently based on Guritsan and garrison many of the vessels of the Imperial Fleet. 65th Stormtrooper Legion - ''The Emperor's Own The 65th Legion was formed during the Clone Wars as well and known for the distinctive red pattern to their armor. It served as the defensive force on Imperial Center for the protection of the Palace, and was the forerunner of the Emperor's Royal Guard. During the Battle of Coruscant this legion was all but wiped out. It was reformed under Emperor Valak's reign and is currently headquartered aboard the [[I2SD Inquisitor|HIMS Inquisitor]]. = Organization = The Stormtrooper Corps was not directly tied to the Imperial Army, and maintained its own command structure, ranking system and support facilities. Stormtroopers were loyal only to Emperor Palpatine himself, and only followed orders from Army and Navy personnel at their discretion. Scout Troopers have their own order of battle. The basic unit of organization was the individual trooper. Each stormtrooper was assigned a number for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of uniformity. Troopers were organized into the following stratum: Trooper The Trooper is the basic unit in any Stormtrooper organization. Following the death of Palpatine and the decade of nearly constant warfare that has followed, the Empire has had to rely on more traditional recruiting methods to fill it's need for Stormtroopers. There are still a good number of clones in the legions and all troopers are treated identically. Stormtroopers are trained at the Imperial Academy on Carida exclusively. From there, many seperate training centers exist around the Empire that focus on the various special environmental training and equipment. More information on that training can be found here. Squads (10 Troopers) thumb|right|180x|10 Man Stormtrooper Naval Security Squad aboard the Death StarSquads are generally made up of nine troopers and a squad leader, typically a Non-commissioned Officer. Each trooper carries a standard load out though as the war has progressed, more and more squads are carrying at least two Light Repeating Blasters. There are a few exceptions to the typical line squad: Command Squad :Command squads are the command and control element for every organization in the legions century level and above. They are comprised of: the century's commanding officer, a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant, a senior Non-Commissioned Officer, A Naval or Army medic, a senior trooper in charge of communications, and six regular troopers. Heavy Weapons Squad :Heavy weapons squads are typically the first level of support that other Stormtroopers call on. They are broken down into four two man fire teams that employ a variety of weapons, from Medium Repeating Blasters to PLX-2 Anti-vehicle missile launchers. The Squad NCO and Squad Corporal can break the squad into battle units to spread assets further apart on the battlefield. Sharpshooter Squad :Sharpshooter squads wear Scout Armor, favored because it is easier to move around in and carry sniper weapons. Sharpshooter squads often became the standby when special Storm Commandos units are not available. So much so that spending time in a Sharpshooter squad is quite often a pre-requisite for getting selected to join the ranks of the Storm Commandos. Naval Security Squad :Naval security squads are only different than line companies in the fact that they are extensively trained in ship-board operations. They have extra equipment geared towards that fact. Leaving behind Light Repeating Blasters, they typically carry Canister Launchers, Deck Clearing Blasters or Shotguns, with rounds designed not to penetrate a ships hull. They also carry breeching charges, magna-grapples, and EVA hand-thrusters. Storm Commando Squad :Storm Commandos are the spiritual successors to the Republic Commando. They specialize in small unit tactics. A Storm Commando unit keeps the same 10 man roster of other Stormtrooper units. However squads are designed to operate completely independantly from the rest of the Imperial Order of Battle to accomplish their missions. Their equipment reflects this independance. Rarely do they carry any weapons heavier than a light repeater. Century (100 Troopers) Centuries are comprised of 10 Squads. One of these squads will always be a command squad. The rest can vary depending on the Century's function. The Century is the typical tactical combat group of Stormtroopers. It allows field commanders the greatest range of flexibility when deploying Stormtrooper, as well as makes up the typical detachment level strength on an Imperial Warship. Centuries are commanded typically by a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant. It is not uncommon to see a Captain in charge of multiple centuries in larger battles. *''Sharpshooter Squads and Storm Commando squads can be used interchangably. However typically there is only one storm Commando Squad to every three sharpshooter squads in any Stormtrooper organization.'' Line Century :Line centuries are the backbone of the Stormtrooper Legions. They are made up of eight line squads, one Heavy weapons squad, and one Command Squad. They are the most common formation throughout the legions and every legion is made up at least 80% of Line centuries. Command Century :This is the command and control group for a Cohort. It will consist of the Commanding Officer and his staff. While lacking the extensive officer corps that makes up a Typical Imperial Army regiment. The Command Century is typically made up of at least three Heavy weapons squads, two Sharpshooter Squads, two Command Squads and three Line squads. Heavy weapons century :Heavy weapons centuries are often able to deliver devastating amounts of firepower on the battlefield, as well as provide an entire cohort with fire support. They are typically made up of seven heavy weapons squads, one command squad and two line squads. Special Operations Century :When something out of the typical Stormtrooper’s scope of work must be done, Special Operation Centuries are the typical force for doing that. With Storm Commandos becoming more and more rare, Special Operations has stepped in to fill the gap. They are comprised of eight sharpshooter squads, one command squad, and one heavy weapons squad. Naval Security Century :Just like centuries are the standard battle organization, naval security centuries are the standard shipboard security detachment. They are organized with seven naval security squads, one command squad, one heavy weapons squad, and one Sharpshooter Squad. As with the Naval Security squads, the heavy weapons employed by Naval Security Centuries are typically designed not to blow holes through the vessel's hull. Cohort (1000 Troopers) Just as the century is the basic tactical level Stormtrooper organization, the cohort is the primary strategic level organization. Cohort’s commands can be spread across several smaller ships, or charged with manning a garrison. They are commanded by Majors and Lieutenant Colonels. Line Cohort :Line cohorts are the typical force found at any Imperial Garrison on worlds considered safe. They consist of six line centuries, one command century, two heavy weapons centuries, and one special operations century. Command Cohort :Command Cohorts are the command and control organization for an Imperial Stormtrooper Legion. A command cohort's standard organization is four command centuries, two heavy weapons centuries, two special operations centuries, and two line centuries. Three of the centuries are commanded by Majors to allow the Legion to break up into smaller, two to three Cohort maneuver groups. This allows a legion to have a great deal of flexibility while still maintaining a uniform command and control structure. Heavy Weapons Cohort :Heavy Weapons Cohorts are capable of laying waste to entire cities. They consist of seven Heavy Weapons Centuries, one Command Century, and two Line centuries. Heavy Weapons Cohorts typically fill a support role, but in critical battles it is not unheard of to drop a Heavy Weapons Cohort into a defensive position that must be held against superior numbers, heavy armor, or to break enemy strongholds. Special Operations Cohort :Special operations cohorts are designed to move behind enemy lines and shatter an enemy’s ability to make war. The Highest organization level among Storm Commandos is at the Cohort level. However only a handful exists, most often they are made up of sharpshooters and dismounted Scout Troopers. They consist of eight special operations Centuries, one command century and one heavy weapons century. Marine Cohort :Marine Cohorts are responsible for guarding the larger capitol ships. They are specialists in fighting and seizing large vessels. They contain typically seven Naval Security Centuries, one Command Century and two Special Operations Centuries. Legions (10000 Troopers) Legions are unique in the Empire. No two Legions are exactly alike and the exact breakdown of Cohorts can change as well. Legions run the gauntlet of responsibilities from the assault legions embarked on Star Destroyers, to the Legions defending the Imperial Palace. Legions are commanded by Generals. = Stormtrooper Designations = During the Clone Wars, Clone Trooper designators were all related to their production number from Kamino. It was even encoded into their DNA and Mark I and II Clone Trooper Armor was capable of reading these DNA tags to identify each trooper in every other trooper's HUD. As Stormtroopers replaced the Clone Troopers, Emperor Palpatine instituted a new policy of trooper designations and every trooper recieved a radio-freqency implant that would allow Stormtrooper Armor to display the same sort of information that Clone Armor could. After the Emperor's Death at Endor and the subsequent chaos inside the Empire, implanting chips gave way to encoding the armor with a trooper's identification number. In 12 ABY Warlord Vassily Korolov reorganized the Legions a new numbering system was implemented. Also with the stablization of the Empire under the new Emperor Vadim implantation of identification chips resumed, however now the Identification code can be changed to reflect Troopers changing positions in the legions. Now to reflect the standardized Order of Battle that was put in place in the Legions, Trooper Identification numbers allow the trooper and more importantly their commanders to know exactly where each trooper belongs in the organization. center *'Legion Designators' are a two digit Alpha-Numeric tag. They are unique for each legion and can either be chosen for the Legions particular specialty or for some information relating to a Legion's founding location/time. ** The 501st's Legion Designator is TK. The reason for that dates back to the Clone Wars and has become a mark of pride that members of the 501st still bear the designator. ** The Commanding officer for any organization is given the Number '0' to designate their position. The Legion General of the 501st would have the Designator TK-0000'' or '''TK Actual. In honor of Clone Trooper Alpha who trained many of the original Legions Commanders on Kamino. The Legion General is often refered to as TK Alpha *'Cohort Identifier' is the first number in a Trooper's ID. 1-9 represent the various Cohorts in a legion with 0''' always being reserved for the primary Command Cohort. *'''Century Identifier is the second number in a Trooper's ID. 1-9 represent the various Centuries in a Cohort with 0''' always being reserved for the primary Command Century. *'''Squad Identifier is the third number in a Trooper's ID. 1-9 represent the various squads in a Cohort with 0''' always being reserved for the primary Command Squad. *'''Trooper Identifier is the second number in a Trooper's ID. 1-9 represent the various Troopers in a Squad with 0''' always being reserved for the Squad Leader. ** In Stormtrooper squads, the Trooper's position in the squad is reflected by their number, '''0 is always the squad leader, while 1''' is always the squads Corporal. The newest member of a squad is always '''9. In Stormtrooper Lexicon, The 9th Man is a term of derision for new troopers. As a result, the 9th Man usually gets all the worst assignments, draws the worst watch, etc. = Stormtrooper Ranks = Officers left|thumb|180px|Stormtrooper Major in uniform. Stormtrooper officers are traditionally non-clone graduates from the Imperial Academy. In battle, commissioned stormtrooper officers wear standard Stormtrooper Armor with rank insignia to indicate status. For non-combat situations, officers wore a black tunic and pants dress uniform including a cap, boots, gloves, and standard rank squares. * Legion General: Grade 18 * High General: Grade 17 * General: Grade 16 * Major General: Grade 15 * Colonel: Grade 14 * Major: Grade 13 * Captain: Grade 12 * 1st Lieutenant: Grade 11 * 2nd Lieutenant: Grade 10 NCOs [[image:SandtrooperNCO.jpg|right|thumb|110px|Stormtrooper NCO wearing Sandtrooper armor on mounted patrol on Tatooine.]] Non-Commissioned Officers are the heart of the Stormtrooper Legions. They command squads and in can command Centuries if need be. They wear Stormtrooper armor while on duty and can be distinguished from the enlisted ranks by colored shoulder pauldrons. * Sergeant Major: Grade9 * First Sergeant: Grade8 * Master Sergeant: Grade 7 * Staff Sergeant: Grade 6 * Sergeant: Grade 5 * Corporal: Grade 4 Enlisted Enlisted Stormtroopers make up the bulk of the legions. Every enlisted trooper carries a blaster. They wear standard armor on the battlefield, though can be trained in any of the Stormtrooper Specialties. * Lance Corporal: Grade 3 * Senior Trooper: Grade 2 * Trooper: Grade 1 = Ideology = In addition to their military role as elite troops, stormtroopers constituted an important part of Palpatine's New Order. Stormtrooper training was accompanied by thorough indoctrination to Imperial ideology, above and beyond what the normal military was exposed to, and stormtroopers were closely associated with the Emperor himself. This was particularly significant in light of the tensions between the Emperor and the Navy. For instance, the stormtroopers deployed to the Death Star were, arguably, largely there to ensure the immensely powerful battle station remained in the Emperor's control. Darth Vader was sent for a similiar purpose. = Equipment = Weaponry thumb|left|120px|The ST-II is an updated version of the ST-I/E-11 weapon from early in the Galactic Civil War. The BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle was the standard issue weapon of the Corps and one of the most common issued rifles in the Empire. the blaster was largely based on the DC-15 blasters used by clone troopers during the Clone Wars, right down to the folding stock, allowing for increased range and braced fire. As the War has progressed, the E-11 gave way to it's virtually identical cousin the SoroSuub Stormtrooper One and Stormtrooper Two Blaster Rifles. Rumors persist that Imperial High Command under the directions of both Warlord Korolov and Grand Admiral Kreldin have been working to develop a third generation rifle dubbed the Stormtrooper Three project. All Stormtroopers, excluding those assigned to heavy or special weapons, carried an ST-I or ST-II along with a MX Heavy Blaster Pistol sidearm. All Troopers typically carry at least one Vibro-Knife as part of their utility kit as well.All stormtroopers also had a cylindrical thermal detonator attached to the small of their back, on their torso armor. The detonator could only be used by its owner, since activation required a code unique to each individual trooper. This, along with their designation codes and rank, were the only semblance of individuality the troopers were allowed. Armor thumb|right|120px|A cross section of a Stormtrooper's helmet Before Stormtrooper Armor was developed, the first stormtroopers used Phase II Clone Trooper armor after the transition from the Republic to the Empire. For how long, this is unknown. Later, a distinct stormtrooper armor was developed. This armor was a white body armor over a sealed black body glove, and in this respect appeared similar to their Clone Wars predecessors. The assembled set completely encased the body and typically had no individual distinguishing marks outside of rank. In fact, the casual first-time observer sometimes would mistake the stormtroopers as a form of battle droid. It also protected the troopers from very harsh environments as well as projectiles and impact weapons. The armor might be penetrated by a direct blaster bolt, but would reduce damage from the bolts absorbed significantly. The body glove allowed for operation in warm or cold climates; however, it could protect the trooper from almost any environment—from total vacuum conditions to the very extremes in cold and heat for a very limited period of time. In this respect, the armor was much less suited to battle than its clone armor predecessor, and much more suitable as a high-tech survival suit. In certain situations, however, stormtroopers would sometimes wear camouflage armor to help them blend in with different environments. The Stormtrooper Corps instituted this reform after the embarrassing defeat at the Battle of Endor. thumb|left|180px|Portable holo-recievers are a standard part of an officers kit. Extra Some special features include a wrist comlink, a tiny battle holocam built into the helmet, a proper resonator (to open secure doors) built into their armour, or an external helmet light. For extended operations, stormtroopers carried field backpacks that included a personal tent, five concentrated rations, fifteen water packs, eight blaster power packs, and a glowrod. = OOC Information = * This page and the information contained in it are mandatory for Stormtrooper players on the game. * Stormtrooper PC's are not allowed to defect from the faction. Any ST players who wish to defect must first aqquire Faction Head permission and it may or may not be approved. * Playing a Stormtrooper requires a great deal of maturity and admission to the Stormtrooper Legions is at the discretion of the Faction Head or Assistant Faction Head. * Combat for Stormtroopers can be very dangerous, as they are the spearhead of any Imperial attack. Therefore, Stormtrooper Players waive consent in combat. This is appealable and can change at the discretion of the Faction Staff and MUSH Administrators should any problems with abuse arise. :For Stormtrooper contact info, see MUSH Faction/Org Contacts. Additional Resources * [[:starwars:Stormtrooper|''Stormtroopers'' in exhaustive detail on Wookieepedia.]] *(Starwars Databank) Category:Imperial Entities & Terminology Category:Military Units Category:Imperial Organizations From SW1ki, a Wikia wiki.